Spain has hit Belgium's Prince Joachim with a €10,400 fine for attending a lockdown party in the country after which he tested positive for Covid-19.
Joachim was handed the maximum fine for a "serious violation of civil protection [laws]," which, if paid within 15 days, will be reduced by 50%, El País reports.
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The 28-year-old prince landed in hot water after it was revealed that he had flown to Madrid and attended a party in the southern city of Córdoba.
Spanish authorities said Joachim failed to observe the mandatory 14-day quarantine after arriving in Spain, violating the country's strict lockdown rules.
Joachim, King Philippe's nephew and 10th in line to the Belgian throne, issued a public apology after news broke that he had tested positive for the virus which was killed more than 27,000 in Spain.
Following news of his test results, local officials expressed indignation over the events, with one official saying that such actions “put at risk everything that we have achieved during the state of alarm.”
While authorities initially said that Joachim had attended one lockdown party with 26 others, an investigation launched after the facts suggest that the prince actually attended two separate events.
The first event was a meal shared with 12 guests and the second was a gathering of 15 people, which, according to El País, would mean that both events were allowed amid Córdoba's lockdown relaxations.
The fine issued concerns the prince's flouting of the mandatory quarantine period, as Spanish authorities continue investigating the events he attended.
Gabriela Galindo
The Brussels Times
